Engine-valve mechanism.



H. F. McCRAY & W. W: GOODRICH.

ENGINE VALVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man MAY 15, I916.

1,213,391. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY F. MCCRAY AND WINFORD W. GOODRICH, OF RENO, NEVADA.

ENGINE-VALVE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 23, 1917.

Application filed May 15, 1916. Serial No. 97,535.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARRY F. MCCRAY and VVINFoRD W. Gooonrcn, citizens of the United States, residing at Reno, in the county of lVashoe and State of Nevada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Engine-Valve Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valve mechanism for engines and is especially adapted for use on internal combustion engines, although it may be advantageously employed on steam or other engines.

The principal object of the present invention .is to secure greater engine efficiency, that is, more power at all engine speeds, by more efiectively sealing the power chamber and reducing the vibration of the valv mechanism to a minimum.

Subsidiary objects are to reduce the number of moving parts and the friction between them, to provide slower relative valve speeds, and to eliminate waste spaces, vibration and other objectionable features of puppet and reciprocating valves.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, and then more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts throughout'the several views: Figure 1 is a vertical section through the cylinder of an internal combustion engine equipped with our improved valve mechanism, the section being taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2, and a portion of the crank case being shown with the crank shaft therein and the driving connection between said shaft and the rotary valve sleeve. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the cylinder taken through the inlet and exhaust ports thereof. Fig. 3 is a detailed elevation of the cylinder head. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the cylinder head as it would appear if out vertically and spread out flat, the positions of the ports in the valve sleeve on the compression and expansion strokes being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 5 isa vertical section through the cylinder of an engine of modified construction having our improved valve mechanism incorporated therein, and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the cylinder head similar to Fig. 4 but showing a different arrangement of the packing ring.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing, in which our invention is shown applied to an internal combustion engine with a water cooled cylinder, 1 designates the crank case,,2 the cylinder and '3 the water jacket surrounding the latter. The cylinder head 4t has an annular flange 5 adapted to be rigidly fastened to the top of a cylinder and a downwardly extending annular wall 6 spaced from the inner surface of the cylinder sufliciently to permit the valve sleeve 12 to rotate between them. The interior of the annular wall 6 of the cylin der head may be dome-shaped, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and a spark plug 7 maybe introduced at the center of the top of the dome-shaped chamber thus formed at the upper end of the cylinder.

The annular wall 6 extends down below the inlet and exhaust ports of the cylinder, and is provided with two diametrically opposite exhaust ports 8 and 10 registering with the exhaust ports 13 and 15 of the cylinder. The wall 6 also has a pair of diametrically opposite intake ports 9 and 11 registering with the intake ports 14 and 16 of the cylinder. The engine illustrated is of the four cycle type and the intake and exhaust ports are so spaced around the cyl inder as to permit the diametrically oppo site ports 17 and 18 in the valve sleeve 12 to register with the exhaust ports during the exhaust stroke of the piston 23, with the, intake ports during the intake stroke of said piston and to be out of register with said exhaust and intake ports during the compression and expansion strokes of the piston.

It is an established fact that to secure the greatest efficiency from a sleeve or sliding type of valve, the ports of the valve must be protected from the power or. combustion chamber during the periods of compression and expansion. To accomplish this, we have provided a flexible'packing strip or ring 20 seated in a groove 19 in the outer face of the annular wall 6 of the cylinder head, said packing strip and groove following a sinu:

ous or serpentine course around said wall,

with deviations carrying it along the sides.

of the intake and exhaust ports, across the space above said ports and across the space below where the port in the valve sleeve is arranged during the compression and expansion strokes. In other words, the narrow sinuous packing ring extends continuously above and below the path of the ports in the valve sleeve and across said path at intervals forming pockets to receive said ports during the compression and expansion strokes for sealing said ports from the power chamber during those periods. As best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the packing strlp 20 is continuous being arranged in the sinuous or serpentine course described, serves to effectively seal the power chamber during the compression and expansion strokes of the piston.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the ports 17 and 18 1n the Valve sleeve are shown in register with the intake ports of the cylinder and annular wall 6 of the cylinder head, which position they occupy during the, intake stroke of the piston. As the valve sleeve 12 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the ports in said sleeve will be in the relative posi tions indicated by the dotted lines 17' and 18 in Fig. 4 during the compression stroke, and in the positions indicated by the dotted lines 17 and 18 in the same figure during the expansion stroke. In both of these positions it willbe noted that the ports in the valve sleeve are cut ofi or sealed from the intake and exhaust ports of the cylinder and downwardly extending annular wall 6 of the cylinder head by the sinuous packing stri or ring 20.

he shape or course of the packing strip may be varied considerably. It may be generally curved as suggested at 21 in Fig. 4, or it may be angular with sharp corners 22 as illustrated in Fig. 6, and its width, thickness and general construction may be changed to suit requirements.

In Fig. 1 the crank shaft of the engine is shown at 25, the pitman at 24, and the train of gears for rotating the valve sleeve at 26, 27 and 28. The gear 26 is mounted on the crank shaft and meshes with the gear 27 which also meshes with the gear 28 on the lower end of the valve sleeve. The valve sleeve is rotated at one fourth the crank shaft speed in order to obtain the proper operation of the valve as described above.

In Fig. 5 we have illustrated our valve mechanism applied to an improved form of air-cooled engine. In this instance the valve sleeve 30 constitutes the cylinder and is pro vided with fins 31 on its outer surface. The cylinder head 32 also has fins 33 and extends down'around the upper end of the sleeve substantially to the level of the lower edge of the inner annular wall of said head, or down far enough to provide the intake 'ports 35 and 36 opposite the intake ports 39 and 40 in said annular wall. A space 34 is left between the outer portion of the cylinder head and the inner annular wall thereof into which the upper end of the valve sleeve fits, said sleeve being provided with ports 37 and 38 adapted to register with the intake and exhaust ports in the same manner as described in connection in Figs. 1 and 2, it being understood that the cylinder head is stationary. Apacking strip or ring 42 is seated in a sinuous groove 41 in the outer face of the inner annular Wall of the cylinder head for the purpose already explained. The piston 43 which works in the combined valve sleeve and cylinder 30 is reciprocated by means of a crank shaft 49 and pitman 44, and the sleeve is rotated through sprocket wheels 45 and 47, sprocket chain 46 and gear 48, all suggested in Fig. 5 or by any other suitable means.

We are aware that modifications or changes in details may be made in the structure herein shown and described without departing from our invention, and we therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Among the advantages which we claim are the following, viz: 1. Greater engine efficiency. 2. Greater flexibility and acceleration, due to continuous rotating of valve member on horizontal plane only. 3. More power at all engine speeds. 4. Larger portareas. 5. Slower relative valve speeds to that of the crank shaft possible. 6. Less friction. 7. Fewer moving parts. 8. Ef-

fective sealing of the power chamber with out reciprocal motion of the valve member. 9. Great reduction in vibration. 10. Positive valve functioning. 11. Elimination of intermittent vacuum and suctional resistance common to reciprocating valves. 12. Better distribution of lubricant. 13. Greater radiating efficiency. 14. Freedom from warping of the sleeve member, due to con-- tinuous rotatin of the same. 15. Larger port areas possible at slower relative valve speeds to that of the crank shaft, by employing additional ports in rotating and stationary members. 16. No off-set compartments to power chamber common to puppet valve types of engines.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder containing the power chamber, of a rotary valve having ports adapted to communicate with said power chamber during the intake and exhaust strokes of the engine, and a narrow sinuous packing ring extending continuously above and below the path of the ports in the valve and across said path at intervals forming pockets to receive said orts during the compression and expansion strokes for sealing said ports from the power chamber during those periods.

2. In an engine, the combination with the cylinder having intake and exhaust ports, of a cylinder head having an annular wall extending down into the cylinder provided with opening or openings communicating with said intake and exhaust ports of cylinder, a rotary valve sleeve interposed between said cylinder and annular wall of cylinder head, said rotary valve sleeve having ports adapted to register with said intake and exhaust ports of cylinder and communicating with said opening or openings in the annular wall of cylinder head during intake and exhaust strokes of the engine respectively, and a narrow sinuous paoln'ng ring interposed between the valve sleeve and the annular wall of the cylinder head and extending continuously above and below the 15 path of the ports in the valve sleeve and across said path at intervals forming pockets to receive said ports, during the compression and expansion strokes of the engine for sealing said ports from the opening or open- 20 ings in the annular wall of the cylinder head during those periods.

HARRY F. MCCRAY. WINFORD W/GOODRICH.

Witnesses:

HANNAH UNswoR'rH, J. O. Sassmns. 

